Steam ironing and / or dewrinkle removal device including an electric pump.

Abstract

Steam ironing and / or smoothing apparatus (1) comprising a heating body (4) comprising an instantaneous vaporization chamber (6), an electric pump (3) for injecting liquid into the vaporization chamber (6) and a treatment surface comprising at least one steam outlet hole (12A) for diffusing steam onto the garment to be treated, the heating body (4) comprising an electrical resistor (5) and a mechanical thermostat (7) provided for maintaining the temperature of the vaporization chamber (6) around a set temperature, the electrical resistor (5) being supplied with electricity when the mechanical thermostat (7) is in a closed state and no longer being supplied with electricity when the thermostat (7) is in an open state, characterized in that the pump (3) is supplied by a power supply circuit which takes into account the open and closed state of the mechanical thermostat (7),the power supply circuit modifying the operating conditions of the pump (3) depending on the state of the thermostat (7), the pump (3) operating at a first flow rate when the thermostat (7) is in a closed state and at a second flow rate when the thermostat (7) is in an open state, the first flow rate being lower than the second flow rate. Figure for the abstract: Fig. 2,

Description

Title of the invention: Steam ironing and / or smoothing device comprising an electric pump. Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of ironing and / or steaming appliances comprising an instantaneous vaporization chamber powered by an electric pump. State of the art

[0002] Patent WO01 / 55496 discloses an iron comprising an instantaneous vaporization chamber heated by an electrical resistor and in which the vaporization chamber is supplied with water by an electric pump. In this document, the pump is controlled by an electronic card which is connected to a CTN type thermistor measuring the temperature of the soleplate and which controls the pump according to a high flow rate, dependent on the temperature of the soleplate, during a first phase of predetermined duration, then according to a lower flow rate in a second phase.

[0003] Such an iron has the advantage of offering, during short sequences, a high steam flow rate, greater than what the vaporization chamber is capable of continuously producing, which makes it possible to optimize the ironing performance of the iron.

[0004] However, such an iron has the disadvantage of using an electronic component to measure the temperature and an electronic card to control the pump, which are expensive to produce. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention aims to remedy this drawback.

[0006] The technical problem underlying the invention consists of proposing a steam iron which is simple and economical to implement and which provides an optimized steam flow.

[0007] To this end, the invention relates to a steam ironing and / or smoothing appliance comprising a heating body comprising an instantaneous vaporization chamber, an electric pump for injecting liquid into the vaporization chamber and a treatment surface comprising at least one steam outlet hole for diffusing steam onto the garment to be treated, the heating body comprising an electrical resistor and a mechanical thermostat provided for maintaining the temperature of the vaporization chamber around a set temperature, the electrical resistor being supplied with electricity when the mechanical thermostat is in a closed state and no longer being supplied with electricity when the thermostat is in an open state, characterized in that the pump is powered by an electrical power supply circuit which takes into account the open and closed state of the mechanical thermostat, the electrical power supply circuit modifying the operating conditions of the pump according to the state of the thermostat, the pump operating at a first flow rate when the thermostat is in a closed state and at a second flow rate when the thermostat is in an open state, the first flow rate being lower than the second flow rate.

[0008] The apparatus may further have one or more of the following characteristics, taken alone or in combination.

[0009] According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the pump supply circuit comprises a button which makes it possible to start and / or stop the pump.

[0010] According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the button is a trigger which controls the operation of the pump when it is activated, releasing the trigger causing the pump to stop.

[0011] According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the electrical power supply circuit supplies the pump with two different voltages depending on the state of the thermostat, the pump being supplied with a first voltage, corresponding to the first flow rate, when the thermostat is in the closed state, and with a second voltage, corresponding to the second flow rate, when the thermostat is in the open state.

[0012] According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the pump supply circuit comprises a shunt branch which short-circuits at least one element of the electrical supply circuit when the thermostat is in the open state, said shunt branch being out of circuit when the thermostat is in the closed state.

[0013] According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the electrical power supply circuit of the pump comprises at least one Zener diode.

[0014] According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the electrical power supply circuit of the pump comprises two Zener diodes, one of the diodes being short-circuited by the shunt branch when the thermostat is in the open state.

[0015] According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the mechanical thermostat comprises three contact pads.

[0016] According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the mechanical thermostat is of the bimetallic type. Brief description of the figures

[0017] The aims, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the description given below of a particular embodiment of the invention presented by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

[0018] [Fig.l] is a schematic view of an ironing apparatus according to a particular embodiment of the invention;

[0019] [Fig.2] is a view of an exemplary embodiment of the electrical power supply circuit of the iron of [Fig.l].

[0020] Only the elements necessary for understanding the invention have been shown. To facilitate reading of the drawings, the same elements bear the same references from one figure to another.

[0021] It will be noted that in this document, the terms "horizontal", "vertical", "lower", "upper", "top", "bottom", "front", "rear", "longitudinal", "transverse", used to describe the iron refer to this device in use, when it is resting flat on its soleplate.

[0022] [Fig.l] schematically represents an ironing apparatus consisting of an iron 1 comprising a liquid reservoir 2, such as a water reservoir, and an electric pump 3 fluidically connected to the liquid reservoir 2.

[0023] The iron 1 comprises, in a manner known per se, a housing comprising a handle 10 at its upper end and a heel 11 in its rear part, on which the iron 1 can rest substantially vertically during inactive ironing phases.

[0024] According to the particular embodiment shown in [Fig.l], the liquid reservoir 2 and the electric pump 3 are arranged in the housing, the device comprising an electric power cord, not shown in the figures, allowing its connection to a domestic electrical network.

[0025] The iron 1 further comprises an ironing soleplate 12 provided with a substantially flat ironing surface and a plurality of steam outlet holes 12A opening into the ironing surface.

[0026] The iron 1 also comprises a heating body 4 integrated in the lower part of the housing, and thermally and mechanically linked to the ironing soleplate 12.

[0027] The heating body 4 comprises a foundry, for example made of aluminum, and an electrical resistance 5, of the U-shaped armored resistance type, integrated in the foundry, with a power of between 1200 W and 2000 W and preferably of the order of 1800 W.

[0028] The heating body 4 also comprises a closure plate 40 which rests on the foundry, and a vaporization chamber 6, of the instant vaporization type, delimited by the foundry and the closure plate 40, configured to generate a flow of vapor.

[0029] The heating body 4 further comprises a liquid injection opening 30 fluidically connected to the electric pump 3 and opening into a front part of the vaporization chamber 6. The electric pump 3 is configured to supply the vaporization chamber 6 in liquid from tank 2.

[0030] The iron 1 comprises a mechanical thermostat 7, of the bimetallic type, configured to regulate the temperature of the heating body 4 around a set temperature. The regulating thermostat 7 is advantageously received on the foundry. Preferably, the value of the set temperature of the thermostat 7 is not adjustable by the user and is between 130°C and 220°C, and is advantageously of the order of 190°C.

[0031] The mechanical thermostat 7 advantageously has a hysteresis of the order of 20°C so that the thermostat 7 goes into a closed state when the temperature is lower than 180°C and goes into an open state when the temperature is higher than 200°C.

[0032] The soleplate 12 is preferably heated by thermal contact with the heating body 4. The heat transfer is carried out in such a way that the temperature of the ironing surface is regulated between 130°C and 150°C when the heating body 4 is regulated around its set temperature.

[0033] More particularly according to the invention, the pump 3 is electrically powered by an electrical power supply circuit which takes into account the opening and closing state of the mechanical thermostat 7 and modifies the operating conditions of the pump 3 as a function of the state of the thermostat 7.

[0034] According to [Fig.2], the electrical power supply circuit of the iron 1 comprises an electrical power supply circuit for the pump 3 and an electrical power supply circuit for the electrical resistance 5 arranged in parallel and which are connected to the neutral N and to the phase P of the domestic power supply network.

[0035] The electrical power supply circuit of the electrical resistance 5, illustrated on the left in [Fig.2], comprises the mechanical thermostat 7 and the electrical resistance 5 arranged in series. The mechanical thermostat 7 has three contact pads and comprises in particular a first contact pad 71 connected to the phase P and a second contact pad 72 connected to the electrical resistance 5. The thermostat 7 establishes an electrical conduction between the first contact pad 71 and the second contact pad 72 when it is in a closed state, that is to say when the temperature measured by the thermostat 7 is lower than the set temperature.

[0036] The electrical supply circuit of the pump 3, illustrated on the right in [Fig.2], successively comprises: a first Zener diode 31, a second Zener diode 32 arranged in the same direction as the first Zener diode 31, a diode 33 arranged in the opposite direction to the first and second Zener diodes 31, 32, the pump 3 and a switch 34. The switch 34 is associated with a trigger 8 carried by the iron 1 and intended to be actuated manually by a user when the latter wishes steam to be diffused through the holes in the soleplate 12. The diode 33, placed upstream of pump 3, converts the current by cutting the negative alternations of the mains voltage.

[0037] The mechanical thermostat 7 comprises a third contact pad 73 which is connected by a shunt branch 35 to a point in the electrical supply circuit of the pump 3 located between the first Zener diode 31 and the second Zener diode 32. The thermostat 7 establishes electrical conduction between the first contact pad 71 and the third contact pad 73 only when the thermostat 7 is in an open state, that is to say when the temperature measured by the thermostat 7 is greater than or equal to the set temperature. Thus, when the thermostat 7 is in the open state, the first Zener diode 31 is short-circuited by the shunt branch 35.

[0038] The operation of the device thus produced will now be described.

[0039] When the user wishes to use the appliance, he plugs the power cord into the domestic network. If the appliance is cold, the temperature of the heating body 4 is below the set temperature and the thermostat 7 is therefore in its closed state. The electrical resistance 5 is therefore supplied with current, which causes a rapid rise in temperature of the heating body 4 until it reaches the set temperature.

[0040] When the set temperature is reached, the thermostat 7 switches to the open state, which causes the interruption of the power supply to the electrical resistance 5 and makes it possible to conventionally regulate the temperature of the heating body 4, and therefore of the vaporization chamber 6 and of the ironing soleplate 12, around the set temperature.

[0041] If the user actuates the trigger 8 while the thermostat 7 is in the closed state, the vaporization chamber 6 is being heated by the electrical resistance 5 and the shunt branch 35 is then out of circuit. The pump 3 is therefore supplied with a voltage corresponding to the mains voltage less the voltage loss caused by the sum of the first Zener diode 31 and the second Zener diode 32.

[0042] If the user operates the trigger 8 while the thermostat 7 is in the open state, as illustrated in [Fig. 2], the vaporization chamber 6 is not being heated and the shunt branch 35 is then connected to the circuit. The pump 3 is then supplied with a voltage corresponding to the mains voltage less the voltage loss caused by the second Zener diode 32 only, because the first Zener diode 31 is then short-circuited by the shunt branch 35.

[0043] Thus, the supply voltage of the pump 3 is higher when the electrical resistance 5 is not electrically supplied, that is to say when the vaporization chamber 6 is not heating. The pump 3 therefore operates at a first flow rate when the thermostat 7 is in a closed state and at a second flow rate when the thermostat 7 is in an open state, the first flow rate being lower than the second flow rate.

[0044] Preferably, the values ​​of the first and second Zener diodes 32 are chosen such that the supply voltage of the pump 3 when the thermostat 7 is in a closed state corresponds to the voltage making it possible to operate the pump 3 with a water flow rate slightly lower than the flow rate that the vaporization chamber 6 is capable of converting into steam continuously from the energy produced by the electrical resistance 5. By way of example, the supply voltage of the pump 3 when the thermostat is in a closed state makes it possible to obtain a first flow rate of the pump 3 of the order of 30 g / min.

[0045] The value of the second Zener diode 32 is chosen such that the supply voltage of the pump 3 when the thermostat 7 is in an open state corresponds to a voltage making it possible to operate the pump 3 with a flow rate advantageously corresponding to the flow rate that the vaporization chamber 6 is capable of producing for 5 to 7 seconds using the energy stored in the aluminum mass of the heating body 4 by causing a drop in temperature of the heating body 4 of between 10 and 20°C. For example, the supply voltage of the pump 3 when the thermostat is in an open state makes it possible to obtain a second flow rate of the pump 3 of the order of 60 g / min.

[0046] Such an assembly makes it possible to obtain, at low cost, a device whose steam flow rate adapts to the user's use to optimize the steam flow rate by limiting the risk of dripping and spitting through the steam outlet holes 12A when the user continuously actuates the trigger 8 and by making it possible to obtain a higher flow rate when the user actuates the trigger 8 sequentially.

[0047] Indeed, if the user presses the trigger 8 for a long time, and in particular for more than 5 to 7 seconds, the temperature of the heating body 4 at the thermostat 7 will fall below the triggering temperature of the thermostat 7 and the electrical resistance 5 will be regularly supplied to compensate for the energy consumption induced by vaporization. The average flow rate of steam produced by the device in the case of a long press on the trigger 8, for example of the order of one minute, will then be close to the first flow rate of the pump 3.

[0048] Conversely, if the user presses the trigger 8 more or less cyclically, and for durations of the order of 5 to 7 seconds, the temperature of the heating body 4 at the thermostat 7 at the time of pressing the trigger 8 will often be higher than the triggering temperature of the thermostat 7 and therefore the flow rate of the pump 3 will correspond to the second flow rate. The temperature will then gradually drop until it reaches the closing threshold of the thermostat 7 and the electrical resistance 5 will be powered by the thermostat 7 to compensate for the energy consumption due to vaporization.

[0049] In most cases, this transition of the thermostat 7 to the closed state will occur after the user has released the trigger 8 allowing the heating body 4 to quickly rise in temperature and reach the opening temperature of the thermostat 7 before the next trigger 8 press.

[0050] Such an apparatus therefore makes it possible to obtain a high steam flow rate, corresponding substantially to the second steam flow rate, when the steam request is made sequentially.

[0051] In particular, such a device has the advantage of making it possible to obtain, at low cost, an optimized steam flow rate during a measurement of the flow rate according to the standardized cycle of type 5 / 15, in which, cyclically, the steam trigger 8 is actuated for 5 seconds then released for 15 seconds.

[0052] Of course, the invention is in no way limited to the embodiment described and illustrated, which has been given only as an example. Modifications remain possible, in particular from the point of view of the constitution of the various elements or by substitution of technical equivalents, without departing from the scope of protection of the invention.

[0053] Thus, in an alternative embodiment not shown, the electrical power supply circuit of the pump may be replaced by an electronic control card which receives information concerning the open or closed state of the mechanical thermostat and consequently controls the flow rate of the pump. Such an alternative embodiment has the disadvantage of being more expensive to produce than the embodiment described above using an electrical power supply circuit equipped with Zener diodes. However, it has the advantage of being less expensive than controlling the pump via an electronic card associated with a CTN type temperature sensor, since it uses a mechanical thermostat which is less expensive to manufacture.

[0054] In another alternative embodiment not shown, the double-contact mechanical thermostat (open and closed) may be replaced by a single-contact mechanical thermostat associated with a relay which short-circuits the first Zener diode when the thermostat is in the open state. Such an alternative embodiment has the advantage of using a standard single-contact mechanical thermostat.

[0055] In another variant embodiment not shown, the thermostat regulating the heating body of the iron may be adjustable by the user.

[0056] In another alternative embodiment not shown, the apparatus will consist of a portable steaming apparatus intended to carry out vertical steaming. This apparatus may advantageously comprise, and in a manner known per se, a handle surmounted by a steaming head equipped with a treatment surface at the level of which steam outlet holes are provided, the steaming head enclosing the vaporization chamber.

Claims

Claims

1. Steam ironing and / or smoothing apparatus (1) comprising a heating body (4) comprising an instantaneous vaporization chamber (6), an electric pump (3) for injecting liquid into the vaporization chamber (6) and a treatment surface comprising at least one steam outlet hole (12A) for diffusing steam onto the garment to be treated, the heating body (4) comprising an electrical resistor (5) and a mechanical thermostat (7) provided for maintaining the temperature of the vaporization chamber (6) around a set temperature, the electrical resistor (5) being supplied with electricity when the mechanical thermostat (7) is in a closed state and no longer being supplied with electricity when the thermostat (7) is in an open state, characterized in that the pump (3) is supplied by an electrical supply circuit which takes into account the opening and closing state of the mechanical thermostat (7),the electrical power supply circuit modifying the operating conditions of the pump (3) depending on the state of the thermostat (7), the pump (3) operating at a first flow rate when the thermostat (7) is in a closed state and at a second flow rate when the thermostat (7) is in an open state, the first flow rate being lower than the second flow rate.,

2. Apparatus (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the electrical supply circuit of the pump (3) comprises a button (8) which allows the pump (3) to be started and / or stopped.

3. Apparatus (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the button is a trigger (8) which controls the operation of the pump (3) when activated, the release of the trigger (8) causing the pump (3) to stop.

4. Apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the electrical power supply circuit supplies the pump (3) with two different voltages depending on the state of the thermostat (7), the pump (3) being supplied with a first voltage, corresponding to the first flow rate, when the thermostat (7) is in the closed state, and with a second voltage, corresponding to the second flow rate, when the thermostat (7) is in the open state.

5. Apparatus (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the electrical supply circuit of the pump (3) comprises a shunt branch (35) which short-circuits at least one element (31) of the circuit power supply when the thermostat (7) is in the open state, said shunt branch being out of circuit when the thermostat (7) is in the closed state.

6. Apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 5, characterized in that the electrical supply circuit of the pump (3) comprises at least one Zener diode.

7. Apparatus (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that the electrical supply circuit of the pump (3) comprises two Zener diodes, one of the diodes being short-circuited by the shunt branch (35) when the thermostat (7) is in the open state.

8. Apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the mechanical thermostat (7) comprises three contact pads.

9. Apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the mechanical thermostat (7) is of the bimetallic type.

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